85266.5
. (a) With the approval of the Board of Governors of the
California Community Colleges, the governing board of a community
college district may cause to be drawn all warrants on the county
treasurer against all the funds, except debt service, of the district
in the county treasury in the payment of the expenses of the
district. The warrants shall be issued by a person designated as the
district auditor or district disbursing officer for the district on
the county treasurer in favor of the persons entitled thereto in
payment of all claims chargeable against the districts which have
been legally examined, allowed, and ordered paid by the governing
board. The district auditor shall issue warrants on the county
treasurer for all debts and demands against the district when the
amounts are fixed by law. The form of the warrant shall be as
prescribed by the governing board and approved by the county auditor
or county treasurer.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 85231, the cost of printing the
warrants shall be borne by the district.
(c) No county officer shall be responsible for producing reports,
statements, and other data relating to or based on these payments of
the expenses of the districts. Those districts issuing warrants as
provided by this section shall provide the county superintendent of
schools, in the form prescribed by him or her, with the data
necessary to make retirement reports and other reports required of
him or her by law. All warrants, vouchers, and supporting documents
shall be kept by the districts that draw their own warrants.
(d) Notwithstanding Section 27005 of the Government Code, or any
other section requiring orders for warrants or warrants to be signed
by the county superintendent of schools or the county auditor, or
both, the county treasurer shall pay the warrant, if money is
available.
(e) Notwithstanding Section 84000, except for assessing and tax
collecting, the county auditor and the county treasurer may charge
those districts that draw their own warrants, and those districts
shall pay, for the cost of all fiscal services.
(f) The person authorized by the governing board of the district
to issue warrants pursuant to this section shall execute an official
bond in an amount fixed by the governing board conditioned upon the
faithful performance of his or her duties under this section. A
county superintendent of schools or a county auditor shall not be
liable under the terms of his or her bond or otherwise for any
warrant issued pursuant to this section. It is not intended that this
provision shall be applied so as to impair the obligation of any
contract in the bond of the officer in effect on the effective date
of this section.
(g) A listing of the warrants issued under this section by each
district shall be forwarded to the county auditor, upon his or her
request, and to the county superintendent of schools on the same day
warrants are issued. The listing, which may be magnetic tape, punch
cards, or in other form, shall report, among other things, the
warrant number, date of the warrant, amount of the warrant, the name
of the payee, and the fund on which drawn.
(h) The form and content of the warrant listing shall be as
prescribed by the governing board and approved by the county auditor.
(i) Each district which issues warrants pursuant to this section
shall furnish monthly to the county superintendent of schools and the
county auditor of the county of jurisdiction, upon his or her
request, a statement showing the current fiscal year to date, for
each required expenditure classification, the amount budgeted, actual
expenditures, encumbrances and unencumbered balances.
(j) In order to obtain the approval of the board of governors, a
community college district shall file a written application with the
county superintendent of schools. Upon receipt of an application from
the district, the county superintendent of schools shall cause a
survey to be made of the district's accounting controls by an
independent certified public accountant or public accountant in
accordance with standards prescribed by the board of governors. The
certified public accountant or public accountant shall report his or
her findings and recommendations to the county superintendent, county
auditor, and to the applicant district.
(k) The county superintendent shall forward the district's
application, together with his or her other recommendations and the
recommendations of the county auditor and a report of the survey, to
the board of governors for approval or disapproval of the
application. The board of governors shall approve the application
only if it finds that the accounting controls of the district are
adequate. If the board of governors determines that these controls
are inadequate, it shall disapprove the application.
(l) The county superintendent of schools shall be reimbursed for
all costs incident to the accounting controls survey made pursuant to
the district's application, from the district's funds.
(m) When approved by the board of governors, the issuance of
warrants pursuant to this section shall be effective at the beginning
of the fiscal year if the approval had been made prior to the
preceding first day in January. In the event that the issuance of
warrant has been disapproved, the board of governors shall state the
specific steps which must be taken by the district in order to
receive approval. If at any time the county superintendent of schools
determines that the accounting controls of the district have become
inadequate, he or she may recommend to the board of governors that
the approval be revoked, to be effective on the first day of the next
following fiscal year.